The Effectiveness of a School-Based Coping Skills Group for Latino Middle School Students with Anxiety
Location
Philadelphia, PA
Start Date
1-5-2024 1:00 PM
End Date
1-5-2024 4:00 PM
Description
Introduction: Anxiety is a common problem among children, with prevalence rates averaging between 10-20 percent. Children with difficulties managing stress and worry have been shown to have difficulties with academic achievement, peer relationships, and later emotional adjustment in adolescence and adulthood. Since many anxiety disorders begin during childhood and adolescence, schools are the optimal place for prevention programs to help children learn effective ways of coping with stress and worry before it causes significant impairment. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has been identified as an efficacious treatment for anxiety in children, however there is limited support for its use in a group format in a school setting. School-based group treatments for children struggling with stress and worry can be a cost effective and efficient way of intervening to prevent the development of future maladjustment. Furthermore, group treatment can be beneficial for treating worry in particular, as the group setting promotes peer modeling, normalization of stress and worry, and opportunity to practice skills in a social setting. The majority of research on emotions, thought patterns, and parenting styles has been heavily focused on Caucasian youth and adults. There is a clear lack of equally comprehensive research among the largest ethnic minority group, Hispanics and Latinos.
Objective: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a school-based group treatment for Latino middle-school children reporting heightened levels of anxiety.
Method: Children experiencing heightened anxiety, as identified by the school counselor at an inner-city charter school, participated in a 10-week program. Each week, children met as a group to further develop their coping skills, specifically in regard to anxiety. Assessments were given before treatment began and then at the conclusion of treatment.
Results: Children demonstrated decreases in anxiety and increases in coping skills in situations that were self-reported as anxiety provoking.
Discussion: Providing support within the school setting for children with heightened anxiety can be a cost-effective, efficient intervention.
Embargo Period
5-23-2024
The Effectiveness of a School-Based Coping Skills Group for Latino Middle School Students with Anxiety
Philadelphia, PA
Introduction: Anxiety is a common problem among children, with prevalence rates averaging between 10-20 percent. Children with difficulties managing stress and worry have been shown to have difficulties with academic achievement, peer relationships, and later emotional adjustment in adolescence and adulthood. Since many anxiety disorders begin during childhood and adolescence, schools are the optimal place for prevention programs to help children learn effective ways of coping with stress and worry before it causes significant impairment. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has been identified as an efficacious treatment for anxiety in children, however there is limited support for its use in a group format in a school setting. School-based group treatments for children struggling with stress and worry can be a cost effective and efficient way of intervening to prevent the development of future maladjustment. Furthermore, group treatment can be beneficial for treating worry in particular, as the group setting promotes peer modeling, normalization of stress and worry, and opportunity to practice skills in a social setting. The majority of research on emotions, thought patterns, and parenting styles has been heavily focused on Caucasian youth and adults. There is a clear lack of equally comprehensive research among the largest ethnic minority group, Hispanics and Latinos.
Objective: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a school-based group treatment for Latino middle-school children reporting heightened levels of anxiety.
Method: Children experiencing heightened anxiety, as identified by the school counselor at an inner-city charter school, participated in a 10-week program. Each week, children met as a group to further develop their coping skills, specifically in regard to anxiety. Assessments were given before treatment began and then at the conclusion of treatment.
Results: Children demonstrated decreases in anxiety and increases in coping skills in situations that were self-reported as anxiety provoking.
Discussion: Providing support within the school setting for children with heightened anxiety can be a cost-effective, efficient intervention.